February 13, 2014

US: Storm moves north as south recovers

ATLANTA — A thick layer of ice covered much of the Deep South on Thursday and most of the cities of the South from Birmingham to Myrtle Beach were still locked down from a large winter storm that was moving up the East Coast.

At least 800,000 customers in the South are without power, 344,000 in Georgia alone, and at least 12 deaths have been attributed to the weather.

Joey Picca, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said the impact of the storm was widespread."It is a storm that has brought wide-ranging effects, from heavy snow and ice to severe weather, including strong winds and hail, down South,” he said.

After battering the South, the storm dumped more than a foot of snow in some parts of the Mid-Atlantic region, bringing the threat of more power failures and widespread closures. Federal offices in Washington were closed on Thursday.

Air and train travel remained nearly impossible in most Southern cities and airports along the East Coast were also affected. In all, more than 4,800 flights had been canceled Thursday, according to FlightAware, which tracks flights. At least 2,300 flights were canceled at the Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta, 800 of them on Thursday.

By morning rush hour, New York City was blanketed in white. A steady snowfall gathered in intensity as the morning wore on, with blizzard-like conditions in some parts of the city. Still, while millions of schoolchildren in the storm’s path were given the day off, New York City public schools remained open.

For residents of the Northeast, the storm was just the latest in a particularly harsh winter. Residents in the South, however, were shocked to see snow accumulations in the double digits, something that had not happened for 26 years.

Augusta, Ga., was coated with an inch of ice, Charlotte, N.C., had six inches of snow, and Atlantans woke up to soft flakes falling over the layer of ice left from the day before. The city has been essentially closed for three days now, waiting for a weekend that promises 60-degree temperatures.

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ATLANTA — A thick layer of ice covered much of the Deep South on Thursday and most of the cities of the South from Birmingham to Myrtle Beach were still locked down from a large winter storm that was moving up the East Coast.

At least 800,000 customers in the South are without power, 344,000 in Georgia alone, and at least 12 deaths have been attributed to the weather.

Joey Picca, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said the impact of the storm was widespread."It is a storm that has brought wide-ranging effects, from heavy snow and ice to severe weather, including strong winds and hail, down South,” he said.

After battering the South, the storm dumped more than a foot of snow in some parts of the Mid-Atlantic region, bringing the threat of more power failures and widespread closures. Federal offices in Washington were closed on Thursday.

Air and train travel remained nearly impossible in most Southern cities and airports along the East Coast were also affected. In all, more than 4,800 flights had been canceled Thursday, according to FlightAware, which tracks flights. At least 2,300 flights were canceled at the Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta, 800 of them on Thursday.

By morning rush hour, New York City was blanketed in white. A steady snowfall gathered in intensity as the morning wore on, with blizzard-like conditions in some parts of the city. Still, while millions of schoolchildren in the storm’s path were given the day off, New York City public schools remained open.

For residents of the Northeast, the storm was just the latest in a particularly harsh winter. Residents in the South, however, were shocked to see snow accumulations in the double digits, something that had not happened for 26 years.

Augusta, Ga., was coated with an inch of ice, Charlotte, N.C., had six inches of snow, and Atlantans woke up to soft flakes falling over the layer of ice left from the day before. The city has been essentially closed for three days now, waiting for a weekend that promises 60-degree temperatures.